Stories of War
by TaverenGaidon
Summary: The Alvarez Empire has invaded, and the Fiore Military has answered the call to war! An original story based off of the setting of Fairy Tail, created by Hiro Mashima. Rated M for violence, please enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Smoke rose up around Sergeant Kaladin, the cries of dying men echoing around him. Spells were being cast across the battlefield, swords and spears and shields crossing paths on the line. He was in a haze, men moving all around him. A fireball had been cast near them, causing a huge explosion that knocked him back. Apparently they were going to take no chances with the Alvarez military.

Kaladin was a part of the Fiore military, trained to lead his squadron into battle. He wore the traditional leather armor, wielded a sword, and handled a shield. He led a team of eleven others, all of which had been outfitted like himself. He had been in the fourth Fiore division of the Royal Fiore Army. They had been sent south to Hargeon to push back the Alvarez Empire, and to provide support to the guilds. Half of the army had moved north, while the other half moved south. Select forces have been moved to both the west and the east, which have also been aided by Magic Council Security Forces. Kaladin turned and saw the charred remains of his squad, a deep pain striking through his heart. They had died in battle, and he couldn't help but feel responsible for their deaths. However, another fireball that passed overhead shocked him into moving, he was still in battle after all.

Kaladin glanced down and quickly knelt to pick up a sword. It was a short sword, about three feet in length with a simple design. It was a soldier's weapon, one an infantry man would choose from. With that, he began to move forward. He still remembered his orders: "Let the mages deal with Zeref and the Spriggan 12. We're just here to fight against their infantry." Those words were spoken by the commander of the Fiore army; a man by the name of Ragnos Vista.

He threw himself into the fray, sword moving to slash at an Alvarez soldier. The leather tore, but the weapon didn't seem to connect. Within a moment, he was locked in melee with the enemy soldier, swords clashing. Everything was a blur, but Kaladin eventually came out on top; his sword buried in the gut of his enemy. He pulled the blade out and knelt, picking up the shield of his fallen foe. This felt familiar, normal.

So the battle for Hargeon went on. Both armies had entered into battle, and both armies suffered casualties. Kaladin, who had been located on the right flank, had managed to find a break about midday. His armor was stained with blood and sweat, a few tears here and there. However, he was alive, which was a good thing. Though, his squadron was not. They had all perished in the explosion, and now he was a sergeant without a squadron. Luckily, or perhaps not so luckily, others had lost their squadron, and had all rallied to the sergeant. They rested in silence as the fresh troops have them time.

A captain came to their location and spoke with Kaladin. He was a man who had seen war, a veteran of some conflict. He looked over Kaladin's squad and simply nodded, turning to regard the battlefield. "Your squadron will need to push up on the right flank, supposedly one of their captains is there. Someone will be dispatched to help deal with them, good luck." With that short order, he turned and headed to the east, probably making his way back to the center of their forces.

Kaladin turned to his ragtag band, all of which were ready to fight. They wanted to avenge their fallen friends, and to push the invaders off of their country. They were what remained of the 46th platoon, 17 men and women who managed to survive the onslaught of fireballs and other explosive spells. They had all been swept up into the fight in confusion, but now that they had a moment to breathe, they began looking for a leader. Apparently they found that in Kaladin, he was a sergeant after all. One man walked over, eyes focused on Kaladin, and more specifically, Kaladin's badge.

"Sergeant Kaladin, my name is Rei." The man had onyx black hair and emerald green eyes, dressed in a long green and black coat. Underneath that was leather armor, also in the shade of dark green. This man would be a specialist, one suited to a particular combat, not a regular infantryman like Kaladin. On his back was a spear, the blade an emerald green like his eyes. Why was this man treating him like someone important? He wasn't anyone important, just a sergeant on the field of war.

"Uh, good to meet you Rei." Kaladin awkwardly replied, shifting his footing and stance a bit. Was this man a superior? Was he someone who acted independently? Rei shifted and nodded, turning to face the south, towards the Alvarez army. As far as Kaladin could tell, the battle was going as it always did; with both armies pushed up against each other in an intense melee. Rei sighed a bit, before drawing his emerald spear and turning to Kaladin.

"I am at your command. I would tell you more about myself, but I'm afraid that'll have to wait. The others there are willing to form a squadron, but introductions have to wait." The black haired man nodded and moved a bit. Kaladin swallowed a bit, his eyes following the people who were left. So one of their captains was spotted? They might as well head out, it was their orders right?

"Alright uh, let's move into position. I see a gap in the left flank, let's move there." With that, Kaladin moved to the front of the squad and they moved out. They would need to reinforce their left flank, try to kill the captain, and hopefully survive another day.


	2. Chapter 2

Kaladin smelled blood and smoke, and he could only hear the cries of the dead; his hand was wrapped around the cloth-bound hilt of his short sword. The once clean blade was now coated in dark red blood, and the dark green shield now bore new scars. It was about midday, three hours since the beginning of the battle, three hours after the death of his entire squadron. The faces of his comrades floated up before him; Seraph, Schuler, Tereth-before the sight of an Alvarez soldier broke his thinking. The man wielded a sword, and was holding it low for a swing attack. How had he not seen him, and he was even right in front of him! The Alvarez soldier swung, before he was taken down by Rei.

The man had come out of nowhere, the emerald blade of his spear flashing to parry the sword, before being impaled inside the chest of the soldier. The dark haired man turned towards Kaladin, the hint of a small smirk appearing on his lips as he caught the swordsman's eyes. "Thinking of something Kal?" He moved the spear back and blocked a swing from a swordsman, quickly sweeping around and taking him down. He seemed like a wind; gentle and calm, before turning into a raging tempest. The green-eyed man seemed to be fairly proficient in battle, truly bearing the title of "specialist". The man turned back to Kaladin, before being attacked by three soldiers.

Three arrows flew past Kaladin's head, black feathered arrows with black fletching; Zeria. He half-turned to regard the black-haired women, her fair face calm and collected. She was another specialist, and seemed to smoothly work together with Rei. She was dressed in black leather armor, with a grey sleeveless coat that ended just below her waist. Her black quiver hung on her right hip, and her black wooden longbow was held high, another arrow being nocked to take down another soldier. He had only learned her name when Rei had called her out when they had managed to find a few minutes of peace. From what he could gather, she was a rather professional individual, one who took her job seriously. He didn't have enough time to inquire about her specific job before they had gotten into the fray once more.

"...No, I'm not." The swordsman replied, turning around to parry a swing and quickly counterattacking. The man in front of him was armed with a longsword, and the two exchanged blades for a good fifteen seconds. Then, when the man's blade rang off of the shield, Kaladin dove forward, blade sliding through the leather and entering his stomach. While shock captured the man, he withdrew the blade and slashed again, a long cut appearing on the man's side. Kaladin stepped back, drawing even with the line of their forces.

He and his new squad was now near the frontline of the right flank, the one to the east. West of them, he could see rockets going off. That would be one of the Spriggan 12…'Stay away from the Spriggan 12. Let the mages deal with them; focus on their normal troops and maybe the captains.' The words of Ragnos Vista rang back to him. They were only the Fiore military; non-magical troops, and they were fighting against the Alvarez Empire, whose military had both magical and non-magical soldiers. Taking one last look to the west, he shook his head and pushed his way to the front line once more.

The fighting went on for another hour, with him and Rei leading the charge, Zeria in the back firing her arrows into the melee. The other fourteen men and women fought near them; Lang, who wielded a massive warhammer. The redheaded "tank" was backed up by the lithe Tika; who wielded daggers and fluidly moved from man to man as her partner took their attention. There was Rowan, a sword and shield soldier like himself, who fought alongside his brother, Bowen, who wielded a spear and shield. Both men had brown hair and dark skin, clad in clothes that seemed to be from the eastern deserts. Of the others, he had not known their names, but he vowed he would. They were apparently his new squad, and he was their leader.

Soon enough, they reached their objective. The commander of their battalion had ordered them to find the captain of this flank; one of the Spriggan 12's lieutenants. They wouldn't be as powerful as any of the Spriggan twelve, but they still posed a distinct threat to the Fiore army. And there he was...or well, it.

Kaladin had never seen something like this; it was humanoid, but it definitely wasn't human. It was covered with bronze plate armor, everything seeming to mold together like skin. It's head was odd; a mesh of polygons that formed together to form a triangle, with three red glowing spots that seemed to be eyes. Instead of arms, it had blades, and it cut down everything that strayed into it's path. Though one man did stand against it, managing to stay alive against the whirling blades.

He had brown hair, long yet neat. He was dressed in black leather armor and a long navy blue trenchcoat, seemingly unaware of it as it didn't hinder the man's movements. His skin was neither fair nor dark, but a tanned olive color. In his hands was a single blade; one-edged, with a slightly blue sheen to it. The hilt was wrapped in the same color or his coat, and if that wasn't odd enough, instead of a traditional hilt, it was the head of a red rose, the dark red contrasting against everything else about the man. He moved like a storm, his single blade matching the movements of the machine; he must have been the one that was sent to aid them. Kaladin turned towards Rei and grinned a bit, before the man shook his head.

"I'm better at fighting on the lines, not in a one on one duel. Zeria will support you though." The man shrugged and darted forward, quickly engaging another enemy. Zeria turned towards Kaladin and shrugged a bit, nocking another arrow. The swordsman groaned, before darting forward.

The knight-like swordsman glanced towards Kaladin, quickly taking a step and letting Kaladin join him. The robot had paused as well, and now looked at the two soldiers, seeming to think.

"Galad Asteri, you are?" The man shifted his stance, keeping the blade low and to his side as he watched their opponent.

"Kaladin, good to meet you." He shifted his grip on both his sword and shield. their opponent had yet to do anything, though he thought he heard the rotation of gears.

"Well Kaladin, seems like you'll be helping me to take on this piece of shit." The man chuckled softly, before darting forward, blade clashing off of one of the swords. The man seemed to take this too lightly, as if this fight wasn't troubling for him. Sighing to himself, Kaladin moved forward, beginning to engage the machine as well.

Galad moved like a storm; filled with energy and rage, but with a kind of grace at the same time. Each slash was precise, and he seemed to be at a fairly high level as well. The machine and the man went back, though while it seemed like both were evenly matched, Kaladin knew that Galad was better. Nonetheless, he engaged as well, catching a blade on his shield and swiping at the robot's legs. Confronted with this new threat, the machine let the blade clang off of it's metallic leg, quickly jumping back to assess the two men.

Then, the battlefield seemed to grow quiet, the clicking of gears the only distinct noise. Then, the singular blades for arms switched out, changing into a double-bladed sword. Kaladin's eyes widened with both fascination and fear; the two of them were going to be taking this monster on? Galad seemed especially excited now, already taking a few steps forward. "Shouldn't be that much of a problem right?" He laughed softly as he darted forward, blade seeming to glow in the bright sunlight.

How many times has he marched off to war, how many times has he jumped into the middle of battle? When they had gotten the orders to face this insurmountable empire, he had felt his soul drop. But, he was a soldier, and he had to protect those he had sworn to serve. Though when he looked at Galad, he saw a man who knew how to fight. When he saw Galad, he saw a knight who was willingly throwing himself in to die, his fighting style reflected that. He held nothing back; every slash, strike, and move was meant to try and kill the enemy in a single blow. How could he be like this man? The man who left nothing behind, who didn't seem to care for his life. With a soft cry echoing from his lips, Kaladin ran forward, catching one of the blades with his shield, and another with his own. He would fight on this field, and he would help this reckless knight.

The clash of blades rang out across the field, sparks emitting from the blades. Kaladin didn't know how long they fought, but all he knew was that his shield was shattered, and he had gotten a small wound on his side, but the enemy had been defeated. The machine lay on the ground, blades covering the dirt and grass, oil and springs and gears littering their dueling space. Apparently both armies had made space for the trio, which had been nice. Kaladin didn't want to deal with others during the duel. He looked over at Galad, a slight laugh leaving him.

The man seemed to be unscathed, despite the few tears in his jacket here and there. The man's blade still shone with an almost holy light, he'd have to ask him about that later. Moving a hand, the man wiped some of his hair back into place, before turning to Kaladin and frowning at the wound. "Well, you'll need to get that checked out." He sheathed his sword and turned away, heading farther west, towards the far right flank. "Take care of yourself, I have a feeling this won't be the end of our war." Within moments, the man had disappeared, almost as fast as he had shown up.

Kaladin had wanted to stop the man, had wanted to ask him how to fight like him. Though, something held him back, he had a feeling that if he tried to imitate Galad, things wouldn't end up so well for him. They were two different warriors; one a storm, and the other a rushing wind. He'd stick to the sword and shield, not the acrobatic fighting style of Galad.

A slight grin tugged at his lips, though it quickly faded as he turned to watch the ongoing battle. Yes...their war wasn't going to end soon. The Alvarez Empire was the most militarily advanced empire they had ever seen, with the magic power to back it up. However, they weren't going down without a fight. They would fight back, they had to. 'Let the mages deal with Zeref and the Spriggan 12. We're just here to fight against their infantry, to fight a normal war.' Ragnos Vista; the image of a strong man clad in gleaming plate mail with a sword strapped to his back popped into his mind. While Lord Darton was the Minister of Defense, Vista was the Commander of the Army, the one responsible for leading.

Kaladin let a sigh leave him, trotting forward to join the line once more. This was their land, their fight as well. Fairy Tail and the other guilds wouldn't fight alone, the Fiore Military and the Magic Council Security Forces stood with them. With that thought in his mind, and his sword raised high, Kaladin rejoined with Rei, and went once more into battle.


	3. Chapter 3

The battle for Hargeon raged on until dusk, then the allied side began a gradual retreat. They had sustained heavy losses, due to the overwhelming might of the Alvarez Empire. Now, leaders from the guilds, mercenary groups, and the military were meeting to discuss a strategy.

Kaladin had found himself in the camp of his fallen squad, quietly picking up the few items he had left behind. It wasn't much, only a simple watch and a few scraps of paper he had used to write down his thoughts before the battle. Still, it was a remnant of his squad, the one that was decimated during the battle. His hands clenched slightly, the realization finally hitting. They were dead, all of them. Gone up in flames as the fireball had imploded. He was the only survivor...why?

Kaladin slowly sat down, exhaustion filling his body. He hadn't know how many bruises, small cuts, burns, and other injuries he had sustained during the battle; maybe he hadn't noticed. He took a breather here, in the silent camp. He could see forms of men and women silently crossing the camp in search of places to rest. They were weary, all of them. The battle had taken its toll, but they still had to fight. They had maybe taken out a quarter of their forces, if that. That meant more fighting, more killing, more death. Kaladin's hands closed into fists as he thought over the battle. Alvarez had such a powerful army. They had no chance.

Before Kaladin could contemplate the situation further, he could feel someone sit next to him. His eyes glanced towards the form beside him, it was Zeria. The black haired marksman had her arms behind her, the palms of her hands pressed into the dirt. Her bow and quiver were set to the side of her, and she seemed to be in a rather solemn mood. Of course, from what Kaladin gathered, she was a pretty solemn person.

"You seem pretty down. Upset about your earlier squad?" She tilted her head back to look up at the stars, her normally hard face soft.

"Yeah…" Kaladin trailed off slightly, his head turning to the stars once more. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't. They were his friends, and now they were gone within a moment. He only survived because he was on the edge of the spell, or at least that's what he assumed. Before he could say something else, Zeria spoke.

"Kaladin, this is war. We're soldiers, we are going to die one way or another. When the guilds called for us, we came. This is our job, and it's not over yet. You can't fight being guilty over this, it'll get you killed. So for now, get over it, and get back to fighting." Zeria's tone was rather cold, though there was a hint of warmth to it as well. With a small sigh, she gathered up her gear and turned towards the captain, attaching her quiver to her hip in the meantime. "Now follow me, it's time you met the rest of the team." With that, the lithe girl turned away and headed down a path towards the twinkling light of a campfire.

Kaladin blinked and slowly stood, eyes following the raven haired girl. She was right. They were in the midst of a war, he couldn't afford to be distracted. He took one step, then another, each step becoming stronger in resolve. He could grieve later, when he had the chance. For now, he needed to fight. Kaladin followed Zeria to her camp, where the members of his new squad was sitting.

Their tents were all arranged in a circle around the fire, and the members of the squad were all arrayed around the fire. Rei was sitting on a stump, his spear laid across his legs. He was gently running a sharpening stone across the green blade. Lang was laying with his face on the ground while Tika was gently massaging the man's back while humming a soft song. Bowen and Rowan were both tending to their gear, amiably talking to a pair of girls Kaladin hadn't had the chance to meet.

The pair were dressed in long, flowing robes, ones that covered their entire body, save their necks and heads. One was colored black with the sigil of a white tree embroidered on the back. This girl had long black hair, pulled into a simple braid that was laid on her shoulder. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black, and her skin was heavily tanned. The other girl, however, was a sharp contrast to the other. Short blonde hair and pale blue eyes, with fair skin that seemed to shine in the dark light. Her robes were white, with a black tree sewn onto the back. The one in the black robe glanced over at Kaladin, and her lips pulled back into a smile.

"Well who is this? Our new commander?" She asked in a light tone, her arm moving to hold her hand out towards Kaladin.

Rowan shifted slightly to regard Kaladin, offering a quick nod at the girl's question. "Aye, he's the last remaining officer from our battalion."

Bowen snorted slightly and stood up, his head angling towards the sky. "I'm surprised any of us survived after that. What was command thinking? Sending in normal troops against Alvarez?" Kaladin could note the small amount of distaste in his tone. Before he could speak up, the girl in white offered a comment.

"Well who else would go? The guild's don't have enough resources to handle the war themselves, and mercenaries can only do so much. We all need to help out, and besides that, it's our war too." She said softly, yet she could be heard perfectly. With a small gesture of her arm, she passed Bowen and headed towards a tent. "My name is Angelica, my captain. I'm sure we'll be able to speak more tomorrow.." Her whispered words floated through the air, before disappearing.

Bowen grumbled slightly and packed his gear, gently patting Rowan's shoulder. "Get some rest." He said rather bluntly, before heading towards the tent Angelica had gone to.

Rowan rolled his eyes and glanced at the girl in black, his eyes narrowing slightly before he whipped his head towards the tent. He swore under his breath and turned back towards Kaladin and the girl in black. "That reminds me, I need sleep.." He quickly stood and turned to almost run to his tent.

The remaining girl, who had now come to stand beside Kaladin, giggled softly. "Ah so he goes? Well I guess you can offer me some entertainment. My name is Daniella, but you can call me Danny." Her hand moved up to gently press against Kaladin's cheek, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Ah, Kaladin." He said in a slightly tired voice, his eyes glancing towards her hand. He took a small step back, forcing the hand away from his cheek, which had made the girl laugh softly.

"Well, Captain Kaladin, I'll make sure to see you tomorrow. I do need my rest after all.." Her voice lilted slightly at the end, the light in her eyes still dancing. The girl then passed Kaladin and headed towards the tent Rowan had gone to, a small giggle escaping her lips as she went. The man watched her go for a second, before letting out a tired sigh and moving to sit beside Rei.

The black haired soldier had seen the entire exchange and a small smile had found it's way onto his lips. "So you found the sisters? They're entertaining aren't they? Angelica is very...formal, but the other one?" Rei let out a small laugh, his lips curling into a small smirk. "Anyway, how're you feeling? Zeria was telling me that you were upset."

"Oh, well I mean my entire squad was.." Kaladin said a bit awkwardly, debating on if he should tell Rei everything that was bothering him.

"Don't." Rei said in a kind of odd tone. It was rather hard and commanding, a stark difference compared to his usual light tone. The man had moved his head to look up at the stars, his emerald eyes hard. "Grieve for the dead later, Kaladin. We're still in this war, so we have to keep fighting for those who are still alive.." The man trailed off slightly, a kind of crestfallen look appearing on his face. Before Kaladin could ask, Zeria was in front of him.

"Don't worry about hi. Why don't you go introduce yourself to Lang and Tika? I'm sure they'd love your company." Her hand went back to gently grab Rei's shoulder, her body shifting so that she could block him from Kaladin's view. The way her eyes also dimmer, and the way she stood, they had both lost someone hadn't they? It was probably best for him not to ask.

"Right, I'll uh, do that." Kaladin said softly, offering a brief nod before turning to watch the camp. Lang and his friend had now moved closer to the fire, talking in hushed whispers. The redhead "tank" was currently sitting cross legged, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Tika was sitting down as well, twirling a thin dagger with her fingers. Both of them were rather relaxed, and the way the sat together suggested that they were comfortable around each other. Taking one more look at Rei and Zerai, Kaladin slowly made his way to sit down close to them.

Tika was the first one to notice Kaladin's approach, her lips pulling into a small smile. She was a small girl, and young for that matter, about seventeen or eighteen. Her hair was a dark scarlet red, its curls hanging around the base of her neck. Her skin was fair and light, and she was dressed in simple leather armor. The chestpiece was sleeveless, with a few daggers strapped around the waist. Her emerald eyes were kind and had a kind of innocence to them. When Kaladin sat down, she poked Lang's shoulder and smiled brightly.

'Captain, such a wonder to see you here with us. We saw you making your rounds, and I was wondering when you were gonna come by." Tika said in a light voice, her body stretching slightly so that she fell back against the ground.

"Ah, yes. I've been busy with Angelica and Daniella. And well, other things." Kaladin awkwardly sat there, unsure on if he should be formal with them or not. He still wasn't the official captain of this squadron, nor did he know any of them.

"Those two? Well the dark one causes a bit of trouble, and the light one has some secrets, but they're good people and fighters." Lang commented, running a hand through his hair. The man was certainly a tank, with a large build meant for handling armor and large weapons. Currently, he was dressed in simple light clothing, normally worn underneath armor. He didn't seem very bothered by the fact that Tika was constantly poking or touching him, must have been normal for him.

"Hm, have you seen them fight? They'd give Rei a run for his money, which is saying something." Tika added on, her head tilting slightly as she glanced towards Angelica's tent. "They do like to sleep with other men though, it's a bit...well, hard to sleep at night."

Kaladin blinked, a small pink blush dusting his cheeks. He wasn't used to those kinds of actions, though TIka and Lang seemed pretty unshocked by the girls' actions. "Ah, ok. Well, uh, speaking of Rei, did something happen? He seems different, I'm a bit concerned."

Lang glanced over at the spearman, a slight frown on his lips before he shrugged lightly. "Nothing that I know, of course Rei has always been a bit tight-lipped about what happens to him. He doesn't like talking about himself."

Tika, who had found her way onto Lang's lap with her legs around his neck, shrugged as best she could. "No idea, though Zeria is there so it's all good. She usually finds a way to cheer him up."

Kaladin nodded slightly, before looking up at the dark sky. It was getting late, and they would soon be fighting in the morning. "Right, well I'm gonna try to get some shuteye. I'll see you guys tomorrow?" He slowly stood up and dusted himself off, an unbidden yawn leaving him.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow. Everyone should be ready by sixish." Lang stretched a bit before standing up, not even really caring how Tika fared. He would then turn to their tent, silently heading in.

Tika swung from Lang's shoulders, a small giggle escaping her. "Yes captain, we'll see you then!" She giggled a bit more and flipped so that she could straddle her friend's shoulders. Then, the two had retreated into their tent.

Kaladin sighed softly, one hand going to his face. Everyone he had met tonight were...interesting, to say the least. But he felt like they were friends now, people he could count on. People he couldn't see get left behind. He'd have to figure out another strategy tomorrow. Sighing, he glanced towards Rei and Zeria, wanting to know if they were still up.

Rei was gone, having left Zeria alone in the silver moonlight. She had a somber expression on her face. She then glanced over at Rei, her lips pulling into a small reassuring smile. With a slight flick of her hand, she turned and headed away from the campsite. Kaladin watched her leave, before turning and going to one of the tents on the outskirts of their little camp. It looked abandoned, and when he peeked his head in, he found that there was only a sleeping bag inside. That, and a few miscellaneous belongings. Deciding that it was probably best for him to sleep here, he crawled inside and entered the bag.

The first day of battle had ended, but the war had only just begun. Letting out a small sigh, Kaladin fell right asleep, one last string of words echoing around his mind.

'I wonder what we'll be doing tomorrow..'


End file.
